Fighter
by millieofsuburbia
Summary: Annie Cresta is top of the class and tipped to win this thing, with Finnick Odair backing her all the way. Rated T to be safe! My first fanfiction, please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello, this is my first story so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.:) a lot of Finnick/Annie fanfiction I have read place Annie as timid and shy, but I'd like to cast her in a different light. I might not post frequently but I'd be grateful if you stuck around and gave me any tips. Thank you all!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games, though I'd like to own Finnick Odair...

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**Chapter One**

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The seniors of District Four Training Academy sat on the tiered bleachers in the gym, each laughing and talking amongst themselves with the principal, Casio Abate, looking on. A smile was teasing the corners of his lips, a ghost of pride in his eyes and a shimmer of hope played in his mind. This year, surely, there would be a victor from Four. This year, District One and Two would lose and Four would prevail.

"Okay, okay!" He clapped his hands and all fell silent. His eyes browsed the twenty five expectant students sat before him, all fidgeting excitedly. There were a few that he had extremely high hopes for; those that were top of the class, of course. He smiled warmly at his stars and raised an eyebrow as a group of girls giggled excitedly. "Okay, ladies, settle down. I'm sure you're all very excited to _train_ with our victors – don't get any other ideas. Let that be an incentive for you to _win_, okay girls?" Another giggle achieved an exasperated sigh from Casio. "Without further ado, then, may I introduce District Four's current victors," he paused as the room erupted with applause. "… Mags Farlane…" The applause continued as the haggard looking seventy-three year old shuffled into the room. "… And Mr Finnick Odair!"

Finnick joined Mags as she walked to the front, linking his arm through hers to support her. He flashed a dazzling grin at the adoring pupils, causing a few girls to swoon and squeal. Casio invited him to the middle of the floor in front of the pupils to speak.

"Wow," he laughed. "Every year I come here I say this, but you guys are looking fierce!" The students looked at each other and laughed euphorically, grateful for the compliment. Finnick appraised the crowd, his eyes being drawn to a few that looked the most promising. A young girl with long, dark hair sat next to a burly, muscled boy with coal black eyes and hair to match his skin. He looked tough – not someone Finnick would have liked to fight against. There were others; a girl with fierce red curls and harsh cheekbones that forced her lips to curl into a grimace; a boy with brilliant, piercing blue eyes and huge muscles. "Yes," Finnick nodded. "You'll do."

"Finnick and Mags are here to help you out as much as they can in these last few days before the reaping. Two of you will be volunteering or be chosen this year, remember, so make the most of what little time you have…" Casio warned ominously. "Mags will be setting up some training stations for your more unusual survival techniques, such as knots, camouflage and hammock-making along with your basic edible insects and plants, your shelters and, of course, snare-setting. Finnick will be handling the more physical aspects starting with hand-to-hand combat at 9. After that you'll receive personal timetables for individual time allocated to Finnick, Mags or private training on the assault course. Got it?" He looked around at the teens who were, thankfully, listening intently. They nodded and grinned, leaping from their seats as he gave instructions of where to go for Finnick's first class.

They made their way to the outdoor training arena, funded by the mayor, which spanned one square mile from the academy all the way to the sea front. In this arena, would-be tributes could experience different types of terrain, from sandy to rocky, and other basic obstacles they would face in the Games.

Finnick stood on top of a crate in front of the model Cornucopia, clapped his hands and placed his fists on his hips saying; "Pair up." The odd number of the class left a group of three friends rolling their eyes and looking around to see if there was another student on their own.

"Don't worry about it," Finnick jumped down and walked towards the girl he'd noticed earlier; the girl with long, dark hair. "You can come with me, Miss…"

"Cresta. Annie Cresta," she offered politely. Ignoring the jealous whispers from her classmates, she met Finnick's smiling sea blue eyes with her own determined deep greens.

"Okay, Miss Cresta, pull up a crate," he winked at her but she was seemingly unaffected by his signature charm. Turning to face the rest of the group, he continued. "Mr Abate has told me you're all very skilled with your weapons, but there may be a time when you're without them. I'm just going to teach you how to attack and disarm. You never know, it could just save your life!" Picking up a small knife, safety cover concealing the blade, he turned to Annie. "If you'll hold this, I'll demonstrate how I could disarm you. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Try your worst," she smirked arrogantly. Finnick offered his hand to help her off of the crate but she ignored it, jumping down. She assumed a fighting stance; one leg in front of the other with her torso facing him. Her arms were poised, slightly outstretched, with one hand clutching the knife and the other waiting for his attack, fingers curled and ready to clench into fists or grasp him. Finnick's position mirrored hers, the only difference being his lack of weapons. He lurched suddenly and she twisted her body around. His arms circled her waist and constricted her. She bucked her hips backwards, earning a groan of pain and a surprised laugh, ducking out of his grip and making some distance. Finnick turned around slowly and Annie hid her smile as she waved the knife before him.

"Go, Annie!" The boy Finnick had noticed before, with eyes as black as the dead of night, called out. The class started applauding as they watched Annie attempt to outwit the mentor. Finnick moved towards her once more and lunged, grabbing her slender wrists with one large, strong hand. She glared at him as he plucked the knife from her grasp and waved it right in front of her face with a complacent smile. He seemed slightly annoyed, as if he'd picked her because he was confident he could beat her, so when he turned to face the crowd and began to speak, Annie crept up on him and gracefully leapt onto his back and took the knife again. Finnick didn't allow himself to be fazed, though, and slipped his arms around Annie's legs to hold her in place. A few girls sighed jealously at the sight of Annie being piggy-backed by Finnick, but she was far from amused. Deciding not to struggle so as not to fall from his back, she remained sat awkwardly with her arms crossed, wearing a disgruntled expression. She glanced at her friends who wiggled their eyebrows and laughed, then made a rude gesture with her hands behind Finnick's back, discreetly. He was telling the class how to keep calm whilst under attack; "But, of course, if you lose it and snap his neck it's not really a big deal, right?" He laughed. Annie laughed, too, causing Finnick to finally address her. "Would you like me to put you down?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and nodded. He instructed the class to choose a weapon from the Cornucopia and try to disarm one another before letting her slip off his back slowly. Before she walked to stand with her friends again, she turned and asked –

"In the arena, if I leapt on someone's back and disarmed them, do you think I'd get the same treatment as just now?"

"Well, no, of course not!" Finnick laughed.

"Funny," she frowned. "I thought you were meant to be showing us what the arena was really like."

Finnick shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Thank you for your input, Miss Cresta. Official complaint forms can be found in the Justice Building."

"I'd consider filling one out, but the only response I'd get back would be an autographed photo of you."

"You hold me in low regard," Finnick frowned. She shrugged and rejoined her friends.

"What was that about?" One of the girls murmured to her. Annie shrugged again, "He seems to love positive attention so I thought I'd give him something negative for the first time since he won. I'm sure he'd be more helpful if he wasn't looking to seduce every girl and make every boy want to be him." She murmured, rolling her eyes. They glanced at each other with tight lips and raised eyebrows, then suddenly pounced. Annie watched her two best friends, Anastasia and Minerva, fight each other. The girls in her class were all beautiful, of course, but when it came to fighting they weren't afraid to chip a nail. They were trained to do the job – and do it well.

Minerva's knife skidded across the grass to Annie's feet and, snapping out of her reverie; she scooped it up and joined in the fight too. Finnick watched her thoughtfully. She emerged from the struggle victoriously; two knives in her hand, and dashed back to the Cornucopia to return them. She sat down at the base, as all winners had been instructed to do, smiling happily at her achievements and panting slightly. Finnick simply couldn't take his eyes off of her – this girl would most definitely bring Four a Victor.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I may have some explaining to do. Basically I stopped writing for like three months to get my UCAS application out of the way. The good news for you guys is that I've officially applied to university to do English Literature and French, so I'M BACK. Y'know because I have such a large readership that I'm sure you're all missing me... Ahem...

Sorry about any inconsistencies, I've tried to get rid of them all but I'm conscious a few may remain. Let me know and I'll fix them, I lost the document with my first chapter then forgot I could just read it on here until literally five minutes ago. Enjoy.:)

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**Chapter Two**

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"Let's have a look," Minerva took Annie's timetable from her hands as they walked out of the arena and back into the hall. "We're together with Finnick after school from five until seven every other day. Weird. They must want us to volunteer this year. I wonder which boys we're with," she looked around thoughtfully.

"What are you girls whispering about?" Casio said brightly as he approached them - almost too brightly. Without giving them time to answer, he ushered them to a quiet section of the room. "You may have noticed that you two are with Finnick after school. After seeing you in training and from your progress throughout the year, we thought that you two, along with Tobias and Curtis, would hold the best chances at bringing us a Victor. We will be making this week very hard for you and testing your abilities. We will push you to breaking point. The two who prevail will be our tributes this year and we are confident that one of you will win. Don't let me down, okay?" The two nodded enthusiastically, earning a rare smile that even reached Casio's eyes.

Most of the time, Casio Abate wore an odd expression; a mixture of concern, determination, and disapproval. He didn't really take the deaths of innocent children to heart. If they didn't survive, they weren't good enough and they hoped for better luck next year. Yet, with unexplained pressure coming their way from the Capitol, he was experiencing a newfound drive to win deep within him.

"I'm feeling good about this, Casio," Finnick clasped his hand around his old teacher's shoulder. "And, wow… That Cresta girl. She's one to watch, seriously… She crept up on me," he paused and shook his head incredulously. "I mean, she actually crept up behind me, jumped on my back and took my knife."

"She's a very talented girl," Casio agreed. "She's strong yet slight, she's no more than a hundred pounds yet she can throw off a boy twice her size and escape. She's very quick, too."

"From what I've seen, I'm impressed. I think we have our Victor," Finnick smiled, watching Annie at Mags' survival stations intently.

Minerva nudged her. "Sex god staring at three o'clock," she joked.

"I think he's sore that I kicked his ass," Annie joked back. She returned her attention to the knot she was trying to make. With an exasperated sigh, she placed her length of rope back on the table.

"Don't give up, Miss Cresta!" Annie looked up to see kind, old eyes smiling at her. Mags untied the rope with shaking yet deft fingers. "These little knots might seem pointless now, but just you wait until you want to set up a decent shelter, or fashion a fishing pole."

"I'll work on it, Mags. Can you show me how to make a net?"

"You're going to need to be good at knots to make nets, but sure," Mags smiled politely and began working on one, with Annie studying her methods carefully. Upon deciding it was too difficult and definitely not her forte, Annie moved on to a table full of plant cuttings preserved in glass cubes. She began sorting out the poisonous from the edible, only having to look in a reference book three times. Minerva was still at the knot station and seemed to have made a net trap.

The bell rang signalling a short ten minute break and Annie headed outside to clear her head in the cool summer air.

"You okay?" Minerva asked, sitting down next to Annie at the base of a tree trunk.

"Yeah, I'm feeling slightly pressured. Finnick's constantly staring at us, so is Mr Abate…" She sighed. "I really want to go into the arena and fight, you know? I want to be enough."

"I'm so nervous," Minerva admitted, then hurriedly added, "But don't tell anyone I said that!"

"I won't, Minnie. I'm scared too, but I feel like I can do it."

"You really want to fight that bad?" Minerva whispered.

"I really do. I was born to do it! I'm ready and confident. I want to bring Four a Victor," she grinned. "I really want to."

Minerva smiled at her and the conversation slipped into that of 'normal' teenage girls as Anastasia joined them – not that those really existed outside of the Capitol. There were rumours circulating that Tobias, one of the students that was in the running to become a tribute and whom Finnick had been keeping an eye on, was secretly seeing the mayor's wife, Juliana. It was fairly obvious as he couldn't stop accidentally slipping her into conversations, but now that it was more likely for Tobias to be reaped the girls discussed what would become of their relationship. The bell rang again and Annie made her way to the assault course for individual training.

During normal school time, two students would share a room containing a virtual assault course, but now that the class had been divided into private sessions with Mags or Finnick or time training by themselves – or apparently, some had just been sent home and deemed to be not good enough – there were enough rooms for one course each. This was Annie's first time alone so she selected a medium difficulty setting and put on a pair of goggles that transformed the room around her to look like an enclosed section of the arena. She attached metal clips to her shoes, belt, sleeves and collar. These acted as sensors to track her movement but would also send out electric shocks as she received blows from her opponent. On this setting, she was pitted against a past tribute from Four that had made it to fifth place; she killed him quickly with a virtual axe but was surprised at how hard she'd been working. When she caught her breath, she turned the difficulty up a notch to the next level. She vaguely recognised the face of her new virtual opponent but couldn't recall a name. This time, it took longer to kill her and she was temporarily offset by a blinding pain on her arm as the virtual tribute slashed her shoulder with a knife. In retaliation, she plunged her sword into the girl's stomach and watched her face twist in pain as she finally died. It was alarmingly realistic, but Annie knew she had to get used to it. She worked her way up through the settings to the hardest, when she was faced with Finnick.

"Of course," she scoffed. Even made of pixels he was damningly gorgeous and wore a charmingly arrogant smirk. Seeing him made it difficult to act without hesitation, knowing the real, very much alive Finnick was just a few doors away. Nevertheless, she struck him with a dagger and he put up a long, difficult fight. She was writhing in pain from his trident and trapped under a net but one fluid movement with her knife set her free and she stumbled towards him and stuck her weapon into his heart. Finnick Odair fell to the floor and the boom of a canon sounded in the distance.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she removed her goggles and went back to the main hall. A video of her performance in the assault course would be sent to Casio and he would probably watch it tonight. If that wasn't enough to send her to the arena, she didn't know what would be.

"You doing okay?" Finnick ran to catch up to her as she was walking to the bleachers. Annie looked at him quizzically. "Yeah, fine… Did you just leave your class behind?"

"You're our star player, of course I did. I just wanted to see how you were doing," he smiled sincerely. Annie mentally told herself to be nice; he was looking out for her after all. "Thank you, Finnick. I'll see you tonight for our after school session," she smiled tentatively. He grinned and nodded, "Right, cool. Catch you later, Annie!" He ran back to his class as Annie realised that was the first time he'd said her name, and she quite liked it.

Annie allowed herself to take time out until lunch, seeing as she'd just killed the Capitol's sex bomb, Finnick Odair, albeit virtually. She watched Curtis train with Finnick and Minerva practice with Mags. The rest of the class could either be on the assault course or have been sent home. They would keep a selection of second-best students in case one of the prime candidates got injured. Finnick had been responsible for more than a few broken arms, and indeed broken hearts. Annie guessed that there would be ten people as back-ups, so eleven of her classmates had been told they weren't needed. That must have hurt; to have been training all their lives and told a week before the moment they'd been working towards that they weren't enough… Of course, there would be some very happy families. For some, it meant that their whole family had made it through the academy without being reaped. In District Four, however, the honour of being a Victor – or merely a tribute – was emphasised pretty much from birth. Annie was a victim of this doctrine, without even realising that she had been subject to such brainwashing. She was determined to win for the glory and honour of being titled 'Victor'.


End file.
